Bowling-alley.



No. 822,959. PATENTED JUNE l2, 1906.- H. B. LAHR.

BOWLING ALLEY.

marian srn'rns PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY B. LAHR, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO BOWLING BALLCOMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORA- TION OF NEW YORK.

BOWLING-ALLEY.

No. 822,959. Specification of Application led February 18| 1904. SerialNo. 194,164.

T0 all whom, it muy concern:

Beit known that I, HENRY B. LAHR, a citizen of the United States, and aresident of the borough of Manhattan, in the city and State of New York,have invented a new and useful Improvement in Bowling-Alleys, of whichthe following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improvement in bowling-alleys, and hasparticularly for its object to provide a new mechanism for insuring theaccurate placing of the tenpins upon the bed of the alley.

A practical embodiment of my invention is represented in theaccompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 represents in top plan suchportions of a bowling-alley as will give a clear conception of theinvention. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section through the same.Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail vertical section through the pin-bed andits adjacent parts for more clearly illustrating the means for raisingand lowering the guide-pins, and Fig. 4 is a detail top planview of thesame.

It has always been extremely difficult to insure the accurate placing ofthe tenpins upon the spots on the pin-bed, such accurate placing beingessential to the success of the game. This present invention is devotedto means for absolutely insuring this desirable accuracy, which means isconstructed, arranged, and operated as follows:

The pin-bed is denoted by 1, the tenpins by 2, and the pin-spots markedby circles on the pin-bed by 3. A plurality of guide-pins 4 are fittedto slide through the pin-bed 3 around the periphery of each of thepin-spots,- in the present instance three of such guidepins being shown.rllhey guide-pins 4 are also shown as sliding through the pin-bed 1diagonaIly, so as to permit the bottom of the tenpin 2 to be placed uponthe spot 3 between the said guide-pins. The bottoms of the guide-pins,which project below the bottom of the pin-bed 1, rest upon a plate 5,fitted to move vertically' a limited distance toward and away from thepin-bed 1. In the present instance this plate 5 is provided with pillars6 at its corners, which are guided into sockets 7 in the base of thealley.

When the plate 5 is raised, the tops of the guide-pins 4 are movedupwardly above the Letters Patent. Patented J' une 12, 1906.

top of the pin-bed 1, and when the plate 5 is lowered the guide-pinswill be moved down- Wardly under the influence of retractingsprings S,one for each pin, until the tops of tahl pins are Hush with the surfaceof the pin- One or more racks 9 depend from the plate 5, and across-shaft 10 is provided with one or more pinions 11, meshing withsaid rack or racks. The shaft 1() extends transversely across beneaththe pin-bed 1 and plate 5 and is mounted in suitable hangers 12. Anoperating-lever 13 is fixed to the shaft 10 and projects above thepin-bed 1, where it may be engaged by the person who sets up the pins. Abar 14 may be provided adjacent to the lever 13, which bar has a notch15 therein, fitted to receive the usual latch 16, carried bythe -lever,for holding the lever in position to keep the plate 5 raised, andthereby the guide-pins 4 lifted above the surface of the pin-bed 1. Thislever 13 may be operated by the bowler, when so desired, by means of aflexible connection 17, provided with a handle 18 near the delivery endof the alley, which ieXible connection 17 passes around a pulley 19 andleads to the lever 13 at a point below the cross-shaft 10.

In operation when it is desired to set up the tenpins the lever 13 isrocked in a direction to raise the guide-pins 4 above the surface of thepin-bed. The tenpins may then be rapidly placed upon their spots, theguidepins 4 serving to insure the accurate placing of the tenpins. Afterthe tenpins have been set up the lever 13 is operated to permit theguide-pins 4 to drop flush with the surface of the pin-bed. If thebowler questions the accurate placing of the tenpins, he may grasp thehandle 1S, and thereby operate the lever 13 from the delivery end of thealley. If a tenpin has been misplaced, the raising of its guide-pins 4will upset it.

It is evident that changes might be resorted to in the construction,form, and arrangement of the several parts without departing from thespirit and scope of my invention. Hence I do not wish to limit myselfstrictly to the structure herein set forth but What I claim isl 1. In abowling-alley, a pin-bed and means for insuring the correct placing ofthe tenpins IOO thereon comprising a plurality of guide-pins arranged ingroups on the pin-bed to slide diagonally toward and away from eachother and means for raising the guide-pins above the surface of thepin-bed.

2. In a bowling-alley, a pin-bed, a group of diagonally-slidingguide-pins in the pinbed for each tenpin, means for raising theguide-pins above the surface of the pin-heel7 [o and springs engagingall oi the guide-pins for ence of two Witnesses, this 18th day ofFebruary, 1904.

HENRY B. LAHR Witnesses:

FREDK. HAYNES, C. S. SUNDGREN.

